Bradford South


Bradford South is a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Judith Cummins of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

The Bradford South constituency lies within the City of Bradford metropolitan borough in the county of West Yorkshire. It contains the suburban areas to the south of Bradford city centre, including Holme Wood, Bierley, Wibsey and Great Horton, as well as the outlying villages of Wyke and Queensbury. The area has an industrial heritage; Bradford was once a global centre for textile manufacturing, particularly in the wool trade. Like much of post-industrial Northern England, Bradford has experienced economic decline with the decrease in importance of the textile industry.
The constituency contains areas with high deprivation, but is generally wealthier than the neighbouring constituencies of Bradford East and Bradford West. Compared to national averages, residents of Bradford South have low levels of income, education and professional employment. White people make up 70% of the population, which is lower than the national figure but higher than the rest of Bradford. Asians are the largest ethnic minority group, representing 22% of residents, most of whom are of Pakistani origin. Asians make up a majority of the population in some areas close to the city centre. Similarly to the rest of the city, most parts of Bradford South are represented by Labour Party or independent councillors at the local district council. Voters in the constituency strongly supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; an estimated 67% voted in favour of Brexit, one of the highest rates in the country.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Lister Hills, Little Horton, North Bierley East, and North Bierley West.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, Great Horton, Lister Hills, North Bierley West, and Thornton.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, North Bierley East, North Bierley West, and West Bowling, and the Urban District of Queensbury and Shelf.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Clayton, Great Horton, Odsal, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke, and the Urban District of Queensbury and Shelf.
1983–2010: The City of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Odsal, Queensbury, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke.
2010–2024: The City of Bradford wards of Great Horton, Queensbury, Royds, Tong, Wibsey, and Wyke.
2024–present: As above, apart from the gain of a small part of the Bowling and Barkerend ward from Bradford East to bring the electorate within the permitted range.

History

It was a Liberal-held seat from 1922 to 1924 and 1931–1945. Since the 1945 general election Bradford South has returned Labour Party MPs, although the Conservative Party came very close to gaining the seat in the 1980s.

Members of Parliament

''Elland prior to 1918''

Elections

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;